It has come to our attention that a number of members of this community have received unsolicited email messages offering various paid services (updating, MOD installation, etc.) for their phpBB boards. Needless to say, these are not coming from us.

Two (partial) examples of such emails are below:

Email wrote:phpBB 3.0.11 is now available
updating your forum makes it stable and fixes security bugs

We provide paid support to phpBB forums owners , we are happy to help you in any issue related to your forum administration or any technical issues
if you are interested in our services , or have any questions , please reply to us

Email wrote:Hi
We are professional phpbb forums designers and developpers.We have a long experience in the field of designing new unique styles for your forum and installing different MODs which make the use of your forum easier than before.
we provide paid services , and it is a pleasure to tell you that our prices are the lowest among all service providers.

While we have been aware of the latter email campaign for many months, there have now been multiple reports that the individuals or organisations behind the messages above perform consistently sub-par work and refuse to issue refunds to unsatisfied customers.

We would therefore like to take this opportunity to remind you of some good practices when searching for a developer. Most of these apply when hiring any independent contractor.

Internet Detective
Run a Google search on the name of the individual or company. You can also search for the contact email address. This is a simple way of finding reviews or complaints by previous customers.

Ask for references
You should never be embarrassed to request references. Ask for a short list of websites that the person/organisation has worked on. For larger projects or if you want to be thorough, ask for contact emails and ask the previous customers for their opinions on the contractor.

Don't pay up front
At least, not the entire cost of the project. Half before, half after is a good policy for reputable or recommended organisations. Never feel pressured to pay first.

Trust your instincts
Does the price sound realistic? Did this person contact you without prompt?

Be careful when handing out credentials
Only give server access to people you trust. Create new accounts whenever possible and give them only the absolutely necessary permissions. Delete the accounts and change all passwords when the work is complete.